Carbon Fork Steering Tube

"[email hidden]" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I tend to favor the Ouzo Pro for reasons of my own but my concern is
the durability. I'm a big guy at 230 lbs. Will a 1 1/8" carbon
threadless steering tube hold up for ~20,000 miles of road riding?

The main reason to buy a carbon steerer is lower weight, but if you already
weigh 200+ pounds, component weight is not an issue. Save your money and get
a stronger metal steerer.

Quoted message said:

My good bike is an aluminum frame / carbon threaded fork with a steel
steering tube. The fork is a Kestrel EMS with ~ 14,000 miles on it.
A recent mishap at a bike shop destroyed the fork and headset (among
other things - don't ask).

Anyhow, the frame is fine so I need to buy both a fork and headset. I
have read recent positive comments on Woundup carbon threaded forks
with 1" steel steering tubes. For about the same price I can get a
nice Reynolds Ouzo Pro with a 1 1/8" carbon threadless steering
tube.

I tend to favor the Ouzo Pro for reasons of my own but my concern is
the durability. I'm a big guy at 230 lbs. Will a 1 1/8" carbon
threadless steering tube hold up for ~20,000 miles of road riding?

Just a minute. Only one size steerer tube will fit on that frame. You
have a choice between (say) 1" carbon or 1" steel, not 1" steel or
1.125" carbon.

If your frame is made for 1" steerer tubes, for God's sake get steel.
At 230lbs you are tempting fate with a 1" carbon steerer. If you have
1.125, well, then, maybe you have an argument. Still, I would go for
steel.

And, BTW, I was at least one of the guys touting the WoundUp forks.
Excellent design, strongest fork I have ever seen. Stronger than my
tandem fork.

--

David L. Johnson

Quoted message said:

I tend to favor the Ouzo Pro for reasons of my own but my concern is
the durability. I'm a big guy at 230 lbs. Will a 1 1/8" carbon
threadless steering tube hold up for ~20,000 miles of road riding?

Thanks in advance,
Tom

----------
I am always amazed when out on mass rides, these really big guys riding
featherweight bikes. The rule is, the heavier the guy, he should have a
heavier bike. All that light weight stuff is spec'ed out for an outer limit
of around 160 lbs. I weigh 170, and I have couple big boxes filled with
light-weight stuff I've broken. Now when I buy bike [censored], I shy away from
the light stuff, and buy the heavier stuff, and the bonus is that it's much
cheaper too. Look for durability, which is sometimes hard, you'll be much
happier in the end.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted post said:

My good bike is an aluminum frame / carbon threaded fork with a steel
steering tube. The fork is a Kestrel EMS with ~ 14,000 miles on it.
A recent mishap at a bike shop destroyed the fork and headset (among
other things - don't ask).

Tom, everyone else will give you good advice about the fork choices you
are now faced with.

I want to know why you have elided what is doubtless going to be an
entertaining story of shop mayhem with a "don't ask."

You had to know someone would ask! So, I'm asking.

What happened?

Oh, and as to your fork dilemma, if the bike is designed for a 1-1/8"
headset/fork, use that, even if you think using a Devolution headset is
a good plan. Those things are so pricey that you're better off getting
the (stronger) 1-1/8" fork, even at some price premium.

As for the steer tube preferences, my uninformed ranking would be metal
1.125" first, carbon 1.125" second, and either of those over a metal 1"
steerer. I don't think 1" carbon is a great plan for a 200 lb. rider.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

Quoted message said:

My good bike is an aluminum frame / carbon threaded fork with a steel
steering tube. The fork is a Kestrel EMS with ~ 14,000 miles on it.
A recent mishap at a bike shop destroyed the fork and headset (among
other things - don't ask).

those kestrel forks can be [censored] if they're made in china. i've had
problems with 2 of them.

Quoted message said:

Anyhow, the frame is fine so I need to buy both a fork and headset. I
have read recent positive comments on Woundup carbon threaded forks
with 1" steel steering tubes. For about the same price I can get a
nice Reynolds Ouzo Pro with a 1 1/8" carbon threadless steering
tube.

I tend to favor the Ouzo Pro for reasons of my own but my concern is
the durability. I'm a big guy at 230 lbs. Will a 1 1/8" carbon
threadless steering tube hold up for ~20,000 miles of road riding?

Thanks in advance,
Tom

ouzo has very poor lateral stiffness. as a big guy, you'll really
notice that. but that's academic if your frame is 1" and you can't fit
the 1.125" fork in there - most steel steerer forks are 1".

seriously, if you want to have a good all-carbon fork, get a frame
that'll take 1.125". a cheapo frame from nashbar is a remarkably good
frame and infinitely better than trying to struggle with noodly 1"
carbon forks in an old-standard frame.

email hidden said:

My good bike is an aluminum frame / carbon threaded fork with a steel
steering tube. The fork is a Kestrel EMS with ~ 14,000 miles on it.
A recent mishap at a bike shop destroyed the fork and headset (among
other things - don't ask).

Anyhow, the frame is fine so I need to buy both a fork and headset. I
have read recent positive comments on Woundup carbon threaded forks
with 1" steel steering tubes. For about the same price I can get a
nice Reynolds Ouzo Pro with a 1 1/8" carbon threadless steering
tube.

I tend to favor the Ouzo Pro for reasons of my own but my concern is
the durability. I'm a big guy at 230 lbs. Will a 1 1/8" carbon
threadless steering tube hold up for ~20,000 miles of road riding?

Thanks in advance,
Tom

If the frame had a 1 inch fork, the 1 1/8 inch won't fit into it. Get
the woundup, I have one(threaded) and it is a great fork.

On May 23, 7:57 pm, "David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My good bike is an aluminum frame / carbon threaded fork with a steel
steering tube. The fork is a Kestrel EMS with ~ 14,000 miles on it.
A recent mishap at a bike shop destroyed the fork and headset (among
other things - don't ask).

Quoted message said:

Anyhow, the frame is fine so I need to buy both a fork and headset. I
have read recent positive comments on Woundup carbon threaded forks
with 1" steel steering tubes. For about the same price I can get a
nice Reynolds Ouzo Pro with a 1 1/8" carbon threadless steering
tube.

Quoted message said:

I tend to favor the Ouzo Pro for reasons of my own but my concern is
the durability. I'm a big guy at 230 lbs. Will a 1 1/8" carbon
threadless steering tube hold up for ~20,000 miles of road riding?

Just a minute. Only one size steerer tube will fit on that frame. You
have a choice between (say) 1" carbon or 1" steel, not 1" steel or
1.125" carbon.

If your frame is made for 1" steerer tubes, for God's sake get steel.
At 230lbs you are tempting fate with a 1" carbon steerer. If you have
1.125, well, then, maybe you have an argument. Still, I would go for
steel.

And, BTW, I was at least one of the guys touting the WoundUp forks.
Excellent design, strongest fork I have ever seen. Stronger than my
tandem fork.

--

David L. Johnson

Hi, David/OP:

At 210 lbs, I have crashed my full carbon Alpha Q Pro 1" steer fork in
headon's TWICE at well over 20 mph. Steerer tube is still solid as...
ummm.... not Sear's but, well, think of something really solid.
Course, one of the aluminum dropout inserts came loose, but that
didn't threaten my ability to ride it for thousands of miles after the
crashes, wondering where the hell that GD creak was coming from (the
motion of the dropout in the carbon leg).

I did not hesitate to buy another Alpha Q at the discounted crash
rate.

D'ohBoy

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

On May 23, 4:20 pm, "[email hidden]"

Quoted message said:

My good bike is an aluminum frame / carbon threaded fork with a steel
steering tube. The fork is a Kestrel EMS with ~ 14,000 miles on it.
A recent mishap at a bike shop destroyed the fork and headset (among
other things - don't ask).

Quoted message said:

Anyhow, the frame is fine so I need to buy both a fork and headset. I
have read recent positive comments on Woundup carbon threaded forks
with 1" steel steering tubes. For about the same price I can get a
nice Reynolds Ouzo Pro with a 1 1/8" carbon threadless steering
tube.

Quoted message said:

I tend to favor the Ouzo Pro for reasons of my own but my concern is
the durability. I'm a big guy at 230 lbs. Will a 1 1/8" carbon
threadless steering tube hold up for ~20,000 miles of road riding?

Quoted message said:

Thanks in advance,
Tom

If the frame had a 1 inch fork, the 1 1/8 inch won't fit into it. Get
the woundup, I have one(threaded) and it is a great fork.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks for all the advice. Honestly, I thought by changing the
headset I could mount a 1 1/8" fork in there. Now I know better. It
makes my original question moot.

Tom